A University committee for student health is seeking student input on services and programs provided by University Health Services.

The Student Health Advisory Committee is a student-appointed organization that is dedicated to being the voice of students within University Health Services and strives to improve the health of college students across campus. SHAC hosted “Hands Up for Health” Thursday, their second annual town hall meeting, dedicated to facilitating an open dialogue between the University Health Services staff and students of the University.

Shreeya Popat, a Plan II senior and treasurer of SHAC, said SHAC wants students to understand that UHS is working for them and that their concerns are at the forefront of the center’s goals.

“We bridge the gap between the UHS and the student body,” Popat said. “We are utilized for a student perspective and used to inform students about the resources the UHS has to offer.”

The main concern students voiced was getting more outside student involvement in UHS and how to get information on resources UHS provides. The panel also took suggestions and answered students’ questions.

International relations and global studies senior Kaushi Kogar said she wants students to be more aware of programs offered through UHS.

“The meeting taught me that the faculty of the University Health Services is reaching out more than I initially expected,” Kogar said.

Jessica Hughes Wagner, UHS health promotion specialist, said one of the main things that the panel would like to hear is what students perceive as common health concerns on campus.

“We have data showing statistics of the common health problems on campus,” Wagner said. “We want to know the bigger student picture and the major things influencing students medically.”

Biology senior and SHAC president Kyle Scott said he thought the meeting went well and there was plenty of student feedback to work from.

“I learned that communication is very important,” Scott said. “A lot of the issues brought up were about communication and getting the information out there.”

Scott said one of the main goals for SHAC in the future is to hit a broader audience to get more student involvement.

“We just want to get the message out there,” Scott said. “Whether it be by forming a new committee or networking with different student organizations.”

Printed on Friday, March 2, 2012 as: Student health committee seeks peer input